News Detail
Event Title: Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Chairperson Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights jointly presiding over a joint meeting of the both committees at Parliament House Islamabad
Event Date: 2026-10-20
A joint meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination was convened on October 20, 2026, at Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Senators Samina Mumtaz Zehri and Aamir Chisti. The primary agenda focused on the further consideration of the Private Member’s Bill titled "The National Population Coordination and Reproductive Health Bill, 2026,"* introduced by Senator Zehri.
The Ministry of Human Rights submitted its brief regarding the proposed bill, evaluating it from the perspective of Pakistan’s constitutional framework, referencing Articles 9, 14, 25, 35, and 38 as well as international commitments, including Paragraph 16 of the Proclamation of Tehran (1968), CEDAW, the UN Human Rights Committee, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Ministry expressed no objection to the proposed bill from a human rights perspective, provided implementation adheres to constitutional guarantees and principles of voluntariness, informed consent, privacy, equality, and non-discrimination. Noting financial provisions in Chapter II (Establishment of the Commission) and Chapter IV (Finance and Administration), the Ministry referred further financial and operational feasibility comments to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination. Furthermore, the proposal incorporates judicial principles, citing *Azka Wahid vs Province of Punjab (2024 LHC 1392), which highlights state obligations to reform social legislation aligning with equality clauses under Articles 25 and 35.
During the meeting, committee members and ministry representatives discussed critical constitutional, administrative, and legal considerations. Representatives from the Ministry of Law raised concerns regarding existing commissions and noted that population management remains a devolved provincial subject. They highlighted that federal legislation cannot mandate implementation upon provinces without consensus. The bill proposes establishing the Federal Commission on Population and Development (FCPD) to formulate national policy frameworks, coordinate demographic data, and report annually to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and Parliament, maintaining operational execution within provincial domains per Article 148(3).
Discussions highlighted that under the proposed structure, the executive body/commission would operate under the direction of the Prime Minister. Suggestions were made by the Secretary IPC regarding precise drafting changes to preserve the core intent and scope of the bill. Additionally, Senator Chishti recommended that all concerned secretariats convene to review and finalize the draft within 3 to 4 days. Members and chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) added. statutory language must align with Islamic values and jurisprudence, underscoring voluntary birth spacing, public education, healthcare access, and avoiding aggressive population control enforcement.
The meeting was attended by Senators Khalil Tahir, Syed Masroor Ahasan, Rahat Jamali, Anoshey Rehman, Shahzaib Durrani and all concerned from relevant mintery officials.